1) Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to load testing systems and methods, and more particularly, to spring load testing systems and methods for performing flight control tests, such as flight control test simulations, on a flight control surface.
2) Description of Related Art
Mechanical testing and integrated systems testing of component parts, or of test specimens of component parts, are often performed in the manufacture of air vehicles, such as aircraft, rotorcraft, spacecraft, and other air vehicles. Such mechanical testing and integrated systems testing provide material property data, such as strength, hardness ductility, and other data about the material as tested under various conditions, such as compression, tension, load and temperature. In turn, such mechanical testing and integrated systems testing provide information relating to the suitability of a material for its intended application. Such information aids in the design of component parts that will perform as expected.
Known spring load systems and methods may be used for simulating aerodynamic loads on aircraft flight control surfaces and other mechanical systems or integrated systems in a test lab environment. However, existing flight control test simulator testing using such known spring load systems and methods may require that the testing be halted to make physical and/or geometric modifications to the spring load systems in order to change the aerodynamic load condition by modifying the effective spring rate. Such halting of the testing may result in increased test downtime and increased labor, tools, and costs to adjust the spring rates. In addition, existing flight control test simulator testing using such known spring load systems and methods may necessitate that test conditions be grouped in specific aerodynamic states which may complicate testing. Further, existing flight control test simulator testing using such known spring load systems and methods may prevent the execution of test scenarios where aerodynamic loads vary during a test run (i.e., airspeed changing during the test condition). Moreover, although existing flight control test simulator testing using such known spring load systems and methods provide repeatable loads with little or no hysteresis, they provide no automated system or method of adjusting or modifying the aerodynamic load condition and spring rate during test execution.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved flight control test simulator system and method that provide advantages over known systems and methods.